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Jun 23, 2012 By Austin Trunick Issue #41 - Yeasayer

The world’s going to end in 21 days, and what are you going to do? Neighbors Dodge (Steve Carell) and Penny (Keira Knightley) use the impending Armageddon as a reason to reconnect with loved ones, embarking on a road trip to track down Dodge’s high school sweetheart and find Penny a flight across the pond to visit her British parents.

As expected, nuttiness ensues along the way as the apocalypse demolishes mankind’s inhibitions. Darkly funny throughout, the film works best in its most off-kilter scenes, which show the rapid disintegration of civilization at large. (Particularly memorable are a tour of a survivalists’ bunker and a run-in with a cult of overly friendly waiters.) Unfortunately for first-time director Lorene Scafaria—who wrote the screenplay for Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist—it’s hard to swallow the attraction between Carell, the unwaveringly glum schlub, and Knightley, the emotional, spontaneous manic pixie dream girl he dislikes for so much of the movie. They’re regularly at odds with each other, which raises the question of why they stick together, much less fall so hopelessly in love. The end of their story comes close to delivering a real emotional sucker punch, but it’s softened by the forced romantic chemistry. (www.focusfeatures.com)

Author rating: 5/10